Epidemiologist - Maternal Nutrition, Child Nutrition and Development Practice, UNICEF Centre of Excellence, Bangkok, Job No #595906

About the Company

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfilling their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF has been working to support government, and partners scale up proven maternal nutrition interventions through multi systems through 22 country offices in Asia-Pacific, with intensive sub-national investments via the Child Nutrition Fund in 10 countries. Different countries have adopted multiple pathways to deliver these interventions as part of national flagship programmes, namely health, social protection and women’s empowerment.

Using four data sources – a) self-reported programme insights by UNICEF staff from NutriDash (2024-6) , b) quantitative data available from published survey reports, c) online interviews with UNICEF country level programme nutrition specialists/officers and d) systems readiness rubrics developed by UNICEF, a report is being prepared on Maternal nutrition in Asia: building systems that deliver at scale. However, there are secondary data analysis requirements particularly for three sections of the report (maternal diet diversity, fragility and equity).

Services of a researcher with sound background in epidemiology and well versed with secondary nutrition and dietary large-scale data analysis particularly maternal diet diversity to conduct specific analyses pertaining to maternal diet diversity, fragility and income and ethnic equity, prepare data tables and support drafting of quantitative sections of report.

Work Assignment and Deliverables:

Work assignment #1: To provide quantitative data analysis and technical writing services from 1 November 2026 to March 2027 for UNICEF Report - Maternal Nutrition in Asia (Remote/ home-based modality, not office-based)

• Consolidated data tables: Review, validate and update, as necessary the global maternal nutrition database using credible, publicly available data sources, with clear documentation of sources, definitions and reference periods. Update the 22 country profiles following database revisions, verification with UNICEF country offices.
• New analyses (maternal diet diversity): Conduct a secondary analysis of publicly available diet-quality microdata and associated analytical resources from the Global Diet Quality Project and calculate relevant indicators for women aged 15–49 years on diets consumed, diet diversity and its determinants using the database variables.
• New analysis (Fragility and inequities): run the analysis to spotlight maternal nutrition determinants with conflict and climate risk factors using INFORM risk and CCRI indices, income and Ethnic inequities.
• Writing of quantitative sections: Prepare and write two quantitative sections of the 2027 report, including methods, findings, interpretation, tables, figures and policy-relevant messages and its data tables.
• Work closely with the supervisor to respond to comments on analytical outputs and finalize the report.

Delivery schedule:

• Expected deliverable 1: Inception report (Submit a detailed workplan, statistical analysis plan).
  Delivery schedule: 15 November, 2026
• Expected deliverable 2: Updated maternal nutrition database, statistical outputs and data tables.
  Delivery schedule: 15 January 2027
• Expected deliverable 3: Finalize quantitative sections for the main and companion reports.
  Delivery schedule: 15 February 2027
• Expected deliverable 4: Submit the diet diversity analysis separately to a peer review journal
  Delivery schedule: 30 March 2027

Qualifications

Education Qualification: Masters in Nutrition Epidemiology, Field Epidemiology, Population Sciences, Data Science, Statistics

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Proven experience on secondary data analysis for maternal nutrition, analysis of maternal dietary diversity data (well versed with R, Stata and note the software will not be provided).
• Proven track record of producing high quality quantitative research reports and peer review journal papers particularly on maternal diet diversity in Asia.
• Previous experience working with UNICEF and experience with datasets and programming on maternal nutrition and anaemia in Asia-Pacific.